Playing for the People

The guitar always serves the song throughout
the Fab Four’s masterpiece, Abbey Road.

As a life-long multitasker, I try to keep
current on music while driving—listening
more as homework than for kicks.
Usually, midway through the first mindless
pop drivel, I scan my way back to Supa
Sounds of the ’70s and stay there.

This morning I lighted upon Boston’s
“More Than a Feeling,” which immediately
cut through my layers of cynicism. What
makes this song awesome? Is it the simple
little acoustic opener, or the harmony solo
where each guitar works a straightforward
melody based mainly on four notes of a
descending major scale? Is it because it
reminds me of being in the second grade
riding to school in my mom’s Country
Squire? Hard to say—all of the song’s elements
are uncomplicated, yet this song does
what great music should do: It elicits an
emotional response.

Think about the music that completely
turns you on. Seriously, stop reading for
one minute and list the four songs that
make you feel something, take you out of
this work-a-day world, and transcend our
earthly drudgery. I will wait.

My list changes radically any given
hour (apparently I’m feeling a bit sentimental
right now—less rocking and more
pensive). Regardless of how my lists may
differ, the common thread in any song
catalog I might concoct is that it’s more
song-driven then guitar-driven, which
is perhaps a bit unexpected for a full-on
guitar geek. A lot of musicians lean toward
the esoteric, but my personal taste remains
pretty pedestrian. It rarely takes a musical
virtuoso to connect with me on an emotional
level. Ironically, virtuosos are sometimes
less likely to connect with the audience
because they focus on ability more
than music, and tend to play a difficult
part instead of an easy one that fits better.

There’s a great scene in the Les Paul
documentary Chasing a Sound where Miles
Davis complains about not reaching Les’
level of success. Miles says, “You know
what? I’d give anything if I could get a hit
record. What’s the secret?” Les answers, “It’s
simple. Play the melody. Play ‘Mockingbird
Hill.’” Miles says, “I wouldn’t be caught
dead playing ‘Mockingbird Hill.’” To which
Les replies, “That’s why you’re hungry,
Miles. If you want to play, you’ve got to
play for the people.”

Les Paul was clearly a virtuoso, but he
never let his endless chops get in the way
of the song. Les knew that music, at least
for the listener, will always link to the heart
and crotch before the brain. Here’s where
it gets complicated: You can’t actually play
music without engaging the brain, but
you don’t want the brain to be entirely in
charge. It’s like walking a tightrope.

Premier Guitar columnist Paul Gilbert
walks that line incredibly well. A full-on
guitar master, he’s capable of playing anything,
yet he always chooses to play the
right thing—even if it’s just a big, dumb,
open-A chord. Look at “To Be with You,”
the No. 1 hit Gilbert had with his band
Mr. Big. Most guitar contemporaries of
Gilbert’s would have jacked up that song
... not because it’s too difficult to play,
but because it’s so difficult to have the
restraint to play some easy open chords
and a sweet melody.

Hell, I don’t have half the chops that
Paul has, but I would have probably
ruined the song with weird chord substitutions
and a fast run in the solo. Paul
showed the perfect discipline and aesthetic
sensibilities. (Maybe it’s easy to show
restraint on a mid-tempo, Beatles-inspired
acoustic song, but Gilbert shows the same
good taste on rockers like “Green-Tinted
Sixties Mind.”) It’s rare to find players who
can handle anything technically, but virtuosos
with self-control and taste are one
in a million.

Most of us have spent years learning
how to play guitar, then, hopefully, we
learn when to play. Many guitarists skip
one of these steps and end up with either
great ideas they can’t execute or a big bag of
tricks that fool some, but not all. I’m always
looking for that balance.

Regrettably, when I play all the time,
muscle memory tends to take over and
I rehash the same ol’ same, or I work on
new things, forcing in awkward phrases
where they don’t belong. When I don’t
play as much, I find that my hands don’t
work as well and I can’t think of what to
play. I’m often disappointed in myself
either way. That golden Zen zone where
your hands do as they are told, and yet
your soul/subconscious/heart gives them
the right direction—that’s what we all
strive for. That’s the transcendental
sweet spot.

Next time you listen to music, notice
if the guitarist is playing for himself or for
the song. See if that guitarist knows how
and when. Next time you play, bask in the
endorphin rush of a good melody instead of
a fast dweedal-a-dweedal-a. Hit a low, chugging
A groove and grin like a 13-year-old in
a garage band.

John Bohlinger is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist best known for leading the band on NBC's Nashville Star and serving as music director for the CMT Awards and specials on PBS and GAC. When not filming Rig Rundowns and gear reviews for PG, John plays pedal steel for Lee Brice.

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